ADA – East Central University will honor the memory Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, Jan. 20, and Tuesday, Jan. 21, with a list of activities to commemorate the fallen civil rights leader and his cause.

ADA – A new year can bring new opportunities and East Central University can help seize those chances through an adult completion degree program called Reach Higher.

Reach Higher enables adults to return to college while working and raising a family.

“With the new year upon us, it’s a perfect opportunity to get a fresh start or second chance toward obtaining your bachelor’s degree in a flexible format that’s very convenient,” said Dr. Shirley Mixon, Professor of Business and Director of the Oklahoma Degree Completion Program.

ADA – Recently the U.S. Department of Education announced the results of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study that showed the average price of attending a four-year public college or university has jumped $1,700 in the last four years.

ADA – The East Central University Department of Music is offering a course in Hymnology and Liturgy on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., beginning on Jan. 13, 2014, in the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center.

The full-semester, 16-week course, being offered as part of ECU’s new Sacred Music degree, will provide an overview of the history and functions of hymns throughout the ages, as well as a study of their literary and theological significance. The concept of liturgy in worship and its historical development will also be explored.

ADA – East Central University students, as part of a service learning project for an advertising/public relations campaign class, formulated the idea for a “Green Tree” on display at Wintersmith Park during the holidays.

The students’ project was pitched to the Ada Recycling Coalition this fall. A smaller version of the tree, constructed by the ECU students, was on display at the Mabee Gereer Museum in Shawnee in November and the ARC loved the idea and had a larger version created at Wintersmith.

ADA – Bachelor’s degrees will be awarded to 225 students, while 94 others will obtain their master’s degrees during East Central University’s 2013 Fall Commencement Ceremonies scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Kerr Activities Center.

The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. as Oklahoma State Senator Susan Paddack will be the keynote speaker. Paddack was elected as state senator for District 13, which includes Pontotoc, Hughes, and portions of Garvin and Coal Counties, in 2004 and serves as Democratic Caucus Co-Chair.

East Central University's mission is to foster a learning environment in which students, faculty, staff, and community
interact to educate students for life in a rapidly changing and culturally diverse society. Within its service area,
East Central University provides leadership for economic development and cultural enhancement.